Sermon Tone Analysis

\\ \\ *Easter is an annual festival commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the principal feast of the Christian year.

It is celebrated on a Sunday on varying dates between March 22 and April 25 and is therefore called a movable feast.

Connected with the observance of Easter are the 40-day penitential season of Lent, beginning on Ash Wednesday and concluding at midnight on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday; Holy Week, commencing on Palm Sunday, including Good Friday, the day of the crucifixion, and terminating with Holy Saturday; and the Octave of Easter, extending from Easter Sunday through the following Sunday.

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\\ \\ *Lent is the period of fasting and penitence traditionally observed by Christians in preparation for Easter.

The length of the Lenten fast, during which observants eat sparingly, was established in the 4th century as 40 days.

The 40-day period begins on Ash Wednesday and extends, with the omission of Sundays, to the day before Easter.

The observance of fasting or other forms of self-denial during Lent varies within Protestant and Anglican churches.

Some people choose to give up something during Lent, such as a favorite food or activity, in order to focus on Christ and remembrance of his sacrifice.

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\\ \\ *Palm Sunday, in Christianity, is the Sunday before Easter.

It is called Palm Sunday from the custom of blessing palms and of carrying portions of branches in procession, in commemoration of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.

The custom may be traced back at least to the 4th century.*

\\ \\ *Holy Week is the week immediately preceding Easter, beginning with Palm Sunday.

Solemn rites are observed commemorating the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Special observances recalling the institution of the Eucharist are held on Maundy Thursday; Scripture readings, solemn prayers, and veneration of the cross recall the crucifixion of Christ on Good Friday.

Holy Saturday commemorates the burial of Christ; midnight vigil services inaugurate the Easter celebration of the resurrection.

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\\ \\ *Ascension , in Christian belief, the departure of Jesus Christ from the earth 40 days after his resurrection from the dead.

The event is described as occurring in the presence of the apostles; Christ was lifted up and a cloud took him out of their sight.

Its significance seems to center on the glorification of Christ and its service as a sign that his earthly mission had been fulfilled.

The Feast of the Ascension, one of the great festivals of Christianity, is observed on Thursday, 40 days after Easter.*

\\ \\ \\ *Pre-Christian Tradition Easter, a Christian festival, embodies many pre-Christian traditions.

The origin of its name is unknown.

Scholars, however, accepting the derivation proposed by the 8th-century English scholar St. Bede, believe it probably comes from Eastre, the Anglo-Saxon name of a Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility, to whom was dedicated a month corresponding to April.

Her festival was celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox; traditions associated with the festival survive in the Easter rabbit, a symbol of fertility, and in colored easter eggs, originally painted with bright colors to represent the sunlight of spring, and used in Easter-egg rolling contests or given as gifts.

\\ Such festivals, and the stories and legends that explain their origin, were common in ancient religions.

A Greek legend tells of the return of Persephone, daughter of Demeter, goddess of the earth, from the underworld to the light of day; her return symbolized to the ancient Greeks the resurrection of life in the spring after the desolation of winter.

Many ancient peoples shared similar legends.

The Phrygians believed that their omnipotent deity went to sleep at the time of the winter solstice, and they performed ceremonies with music and dancing at the spring equinox to awaken him.

The Christian festival of Easter probably embodies a number of converging traditions; most scholars emphasize the original relation of Easter to the Jewish festival of Passover, or Pesach, from which is derived Pasch, another name for Easter.

The early Christians, many of whom were of Jewish origin, were brought up in the Hebrew tradition and regarded Easter as a new feature of the Passover festival, a commemoration of the advent of the Messiah as foretold by the prophets.*

\\ \\ *Whatever holiday traditions we have, we can still reclaim the real meaning of Easter in our lives and the lives of our families.

Put Christ in the limelight on this holiday and every day, remembering always that He is the reason we celebrate.*